Moving cross country with TWO rabbits

[souperficial]

So I’ve gotten myself into a little bit of a predicament and I’m not sure if anyone has had to deal with something like this before. I’m going to be moving from Albany NY to Dallas TX in July. I have two bonded buns that weigh a cumulative 5 pounds. I’ve tried doing a bunch of research, and I guess I’m just looking for advice about how to deal with this.

This is what I’ve found so far:
• the airlines that allow rabbits in the cabin (united is the only one I found that doesn’t require you to be military or have it registered as a support animal) only allow one rabbit to travel
• if I ship them as cargo, it has to be under 85 degrees, which I’m not sure is possible in Texas until September

Does anyone have any experience with this? I’m just really stressing myself out about the safety of my buns while traveling. I would 100% prefer to have them travel with me but I’m starting to think that isn’t possible. So based on that, I’ve come up with 3 options:

• ship them down in may/june (my boyfriend will already be in Texas) and board them until we have an apartment in July (at $15/day, this will get pricy)
• have my parents watch them (I’m nervous about this) and ship them once the temperature is low enough
• find a loophole to let them come in the cabin with me

Any advice?

[RabbitPam]

Hi, you definitely can take them, and probably on the plane with you in a small carrier.
What I’d suggest to start is to do a search of the forum with keywords airplane, travel, flying. There have been many posts in the past about air travel, even internationally. They are older posts and read-only, so don’t reply to any there. But many may have links to airline info. sites that will give you more detailed info.

The only problem is the rapid changes in travel regulations overall. Whatever you find in posts you will need to confirm is still the case. Another way to go is to contact the airline you know you’re taking and peruse their website or call their customer service. They can tell you the most current options for flying, the costs, and whether you can take the bunnies in a carrier with you in the cabin or not.

It doesn’t sound like your folks will be able to get them boarded well, even if they care for them. You can also contact a local rescue, or the House Rabbit Society, and see if you can find people who might drive them for you. Sometimes bunnies are driven by a few people cross country when they are being adopted. Not sure of the cost. Your best bet is talking to the airlines you’re using, or even a different airlines that goes to your destination. It’s work, but been done.

[Rodstewartfoxybrown]

Hi
We moved with our rabbit babies a year ago from boston to denver & did all sorts of research for months before. Please dont ship them if you google you can find horrible stories of them stomping themselves to a dislocated paw or they die of fear or temp. Our vet also strongly discouraged us to ship them, also be careful some will suggest using “calming meds” they can be good/deadly so chat with vet.
We ended up splitting our flights since like u my husband was here first. I found a super cheap fare looking early that was cheaper than shipping would ever be. Doing the research scared me so much that the $275 fare seemed worth it.
Make sure you ask around before boarding long term its not every place that really really knows about rabbit needs. Ive had some bad experiences i have instead been using pet sitters for about $15 & the bunnies dont have to leave their house.
Make sure you leash our rabbit with harness they tend to get a little scared when taken out of cage at TSA. You have to hold them & go through scanner & wanding & wait on other side til cage comes back. Just for safety & extra grip i harnessed my little guy. Might be tough with 2 of them. They wont let them stay in cage thru scanner. Best best of luck!!!

[Rodstewartfoxybrown]

Hi
We moved with our rabbit babies a year ago from boston to denver & did all sorts of research for months before. Please dont ship them if you google you can find horrible stories of them stomping themselves to a dislocated paw or they die of fear or temp. Our vet also strongly discouraged us to ship them, also be careful some will suggest using “calming meds” they can be good/deadly so chat with vet.
We ended up splitting our flights since like u my husband was here first. I found a super cheap fare looking early that was cheaper than shipping would ever be. Doing the research scared me so much that the $275 fare seemed worth it.
Make sure you ask around before boarding long term its not every place that really really knows about rabbit needs. Ive had some bad experiences i have instead been using pet sitters for about $15 & the bunnies dont have to leave their house.
Make sure you leash our rabbit with harness they tend to get a little scared when taken out of cage at TSA. You have to hold them & go through scanner & wanding & wait on other side til cage comes back. Just for safety & extra grip i harnessed my little guy. Might be tough with 2 of them. They wont let them stay in cage thru scanner. Best best of luck!!!

[Mikey]

You can always call airlines as well to ask about their bunny rules. Last i remember reading, rabbits can be considered carry on in most planes if theyre under 5lbs. Since yours together are about 5lbs, they might be allowed on together, but might have to share a crate

Otherwise, if you cant make the drive yourself, i would suggest leaving them with your parents and waiting until your parents can bring them both. If its one rabbit per person, each parent can claim one rabbit on the flight

[Author]

Messages